AITA for lying about my age online when I was 14 to someone who ended up emotionally abusing me?

I’m struggling with guilt and emotional baggage from something that happened a few years ago. When I was 13, I met a guy online during COVID on a mobile game called SweetDance. He said he was 23, and since I’d always gotten along better with adults and had been bullied by them, I lied about being 19. We became close, and it turned into an online relationship. At the time, I didn’t realize how wrong or dangerous it was. He would constantly threaten to harm himself if I didn’t respond quickly or upset him, sending messages like “If I die, it’ll be your fault.” I didn’t know how to deal with that pressure and fell into depression. His family started messaging me too, blaming me for his actions. I felt trapped, like if I left, I’d be responsible for something bad happening. I debated telling someone but was terrified he’d hurt himself and I’d be blamed, or that I’d get in trouble for lying about my age. Eventually, in 2021, I broke up with him, but he kept trying to contact me. I lied again, saying I sold my Discord account and deleted my socials, which finally gave me peace. Now, at 16, I still struggle with guilt and panic attacks. I’m afraid of relationships and still feel like I’m carrying the emotional damage from that time. I feel guilty for lying about my age and not telling someone sooner. I want to heal, but I don’t know how, and I’m scared my parents might find out and judge me. So, AITA for lying about my age, or was I just a kid trying to survive an emotionally abusive situation? And how do I move on from this?

Posted May 7, 2025, 2:37 PM UTC

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